Forge of Fury

The legend of Durgeddin the Black is well known in this region. In each of the small, scattered towns you've passed through, you've heard stories of wondrous treasure hidden in long-lost dwarven vaults and a pitiless war of vengeance between dwarf and orc a hundred years past.

Durgeddin was a master smith who forged blades of surpassing quality and power. Centuries ago, Durgeddin's home was sacked by orcs. Dureddin led the remnants of his clan to a new stronghold in the mountains north of the town of Blasingdell and established a small secret stronghold somewhere in the trackless wilderness.

From his hidden redoubt, he waged a decades-long vendetta against all orc-kind, until one day his enemies discovered his fortress and attacked it. Durgeddin and his followers perished, and much wealth was carried away by the conquering hordes. But it's said that the deepest and best-hidden vaults and armories escaped the looting, and that some of Durgeddin's extraordinary blades still wait in the darkness for a hand bold enough to claim one.

You've come to Blasingdell, a small mining town on the northern frontier, to see if there's anything to these stories. Maps you've seen show that the old dwarf-hold lies about three days' march to the north of the town. Dark, deeply forested hills rise beyond the town's outskirts.

Character Creation
-All characters will start out at 3rd level and have 2700gp to spend on starting equipment.
-36 Point Buy for stats
-Hp will be max for 1st level and rolled for the others, rounding up to the average number if less than half. (example, on a D10, any roll from 1-5 is actually a 5.) If there are questions regarding this, just ask.
-Alignment can be anything non-evil.
-I will accept any basic race and class combination from the PHB, Oriental Adventures, any of the 3.0 class handbooks, and a few other materials. I am open minded to many character types so just shoot them my way. No psionics.
-All applications need to have a link to a completed character sheet and a physical description as well as personality and background to be accepted. I will only be accepting 4-5 characters.
-If you need help with character creation or need to run an idea by me, either post in the OOC thread or send me a PM.
-It will also make it easier if at least most of the party has known each other for some time before the quest.
-Also, I would greatly prefer players who are not familiar with this published adventure. I plan to tweak it a bit anyway and give it some of my own flavor in places, but still, I'd like it to be a fresh experience for all involved

Game Description:

What Waits in the Ruined Dwarf Stronghold?

Two hundred years ago, the great dwarf smith Durgeddin the Black built Khundrukar, a hidden stronghold for his war of vengeance against all orckind. For years Durgeddin labored, until the orcs discovered Khundrukar and stormed the citadel, slaying all within. Legends say that Durgeddin's masterful blades and glittering treasures were never found.

Precisely. Bards are incredibly useful and I highly recommend them. But I think a lot of DnD players like the feeling of dishing out a major amount of damage, it makes them feel like the "hero" or just the most powerful guy around. I tend to play supporters myself, but that's just a personal preference, both roles are useful!

What's wrong with the word Shenanigans? Shenanigans are amusing.
Bards get plenty of new toys to work with. They're pretty well supported.

All the best Bard stuff comes from splatbooks. There are four or five different things across them which improve Inspire Courage, so your L3 Bard can be sitting there with an easily-achievable +4 to AB and damage, three times per day, which more than makes up for a point of BAB lost. Then, they get great skills and can act as healer with CLW, UMD, and Healing Hymn [CCh]. That's pretty good as even a solo character, but then you're granting Inspire Courage to all your party members too. Great! Not the only way to do a Bard, either.